Illustrated About Me
About Me
My Biography
- Born: Columbus, Ohio to Ralph H. (Owner of a 5 & 10 Store) and Virginia Robbins.
- Grew up: Bexley, Ohio.
- Elementary School: Bexley. Walked to school, carried my lunch.
- Pets: Irish setter- Tammy; Collie - Taffy, Spider Monkey - Monkey, Mice, Sheltie - Erin.
- Childhood hobbies: ballet, dancing, drawing, swimming, playing "kick the can."
- College: The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. Graduated B.A. in Art History & English.
- Masters in Library Science, University of Maryland.
- Current hobbies: traveling, swimming, reading, drawing, storytelling.
- Favorite food: strawberries.
- Favorite color: yellow
- Favorite season: Fall
- Lived in Bexley, Ohio; New Carrolton, Md.; Anchorage, Alaska; Memphis, Tenn.; Topeka, Kans.; Tahlequah, Okla.; Lexington, Ky.; Stillwater, Okla.; Kensington, Md., Fairport, N.Y.
- Married with two grown children and three grandchildren.
My Life
I am an author, illustrator, storyteller, and librarian. My passion is writing stories for children. I like to read, travel, and talk about stories. As a kid in Bexley, Ohio, I liked to write and draw. I also swam, danced, rode horses, played with my dog, and tried to raise striped mice. (It didn't work.)
While the Head of Children's Services in Anchorage, Alaska, I was inspired to write my first book, Don't Shoot. For my second book, Once Upon a Felt Board, I put together a collection of my felt board stories that I enjoyed telling. While living in Oklahoma, I learned to fly and became interested in women pilots. Amelia Earhart and Anne Morrow Lindbergh fascinated me, so I wrote biographies about them. I enjoyed writing these biographies because my history books often overlooked the exciting things that women did.
As the Regional Children's Librarian at Wheaton Library in Maryland, I told stories and taught others how to put together story programs. I wrote Felt Board Story Times to help teachers and librarians save time planning theme-related story times, circle times, or week-long units. I also worked at the Pioneer Library System in New York as the Youth Services Consultant.